


Kaleidoscope

by april_zephyr (April_Zephyr)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aerith Lives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Zack Lives, Beginnings, Cars, Cute, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Friendship, Hanging Out, Holding Hands, Minor Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough, Minor Zack Fair/Cloud Strife, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Out of Character, Pre-Het, Pre-Relationship, Sephiroth isn't crazy, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Sunsets, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 02:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14178114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/April_Zephyr/pseuds/april_zephyr
Summary: Aerith frowned as she waited in her car. The heat was taking a toll on her and she doubted she would be able to lift the hood of her car when the temperature was this high. Her skin was certain to get scalded. The brunette knew that she was near to Costa Del Sol, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to make it by foot.





	Kaleidoscope

**Author's Note:**

> I have been reading a lot of Aerith/Sephiroth lately and I just wanted to write an AU where everyone's alive and everything's different.

* * *

It was a typical Summer’s day, ridiculously hot and unbearable. Most people would question why Aerith chose today of all days to drive down to Costa Del Sol. But as a teenager, she had always felt a connection to the place, like it was somewhere that she had to be. And of course she didn’t think it was smart to tell her mother about it because she was bound to sound a little crazy.  
“Shit.” Aerith hissed, as her car started to splutter and steam started to rise from the hood of her car. She would be lying if she said it was a surprise. Her car had been having issues for the last few months, but that still didn’t stop her from hoping that it would survive long enough to take her down to Costa Del Sol.

Aerith frowned as she waited in her car. The heat was taking a toll on her and she doubted she would be able to lift the hood of her car when the temperature was this high. Her skin was certain to get scalded. The brunette knew that she was near to Costa Del Sol, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to make it by foot. The sight of a car moving towards her made her immediately jump out of her car and start waving it down. The car stopped and the man that stepped out was probably around the same age as her. Tall. Green eyes. Silver hair. An attractive fellow. But that wasn’t something that she needed to concentrate on at this current moment.  
“Are you okay?” The man frowned, staring at her from head to toe. Before turning to look at her car, he went over to the vehicle and popped the hood up so easily that Aerith couldn’t help but wince. She could only imagine how much that hurt, “Okay. So your coolant tank is full. That means that this isn’t something that I’d be able to repair out here. I can drop you off at the nearest mechanic’s and they should be able to help you get a tow truck and get it back to the garage. But your car might be stuck here for a few days.”

“Thank you.” Aerith smiled, “So is there a way to get around Costa Del Sol without a car?”

“It depends on where you’re going.” He answered, “I don’t mean to pry, but what’s a girl like you doing in Costa Del Sol? Are you here for the festival?”

“Oh. No. It’s just…” Aerith started not quite sure how to put it into words, “I just felt like I needed to be at Costa Del Sol. I don’t really know what I’m doing here. But I guess I just wanted to see what it was like here… Oh, I just realised I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Aerith Gainsborough.”

“Aerith Gainsborough? I’m Sephiroth.” He supplied, “I’m only here for the weekend. But if you do feel like you need any help getting around, you can contact me.”

“You’re still going to drop me off at the mechanic’s right?” Aerith asked, in turn making Sephiroth let out a low chuckle. It was strange that someone that looked so intimidating was actually amused by her. And it didn’t help that she had the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she actually knew the guy, “Oh. You’re the guy from the military.”

“Really? You didn’t notice until now?” Sephiroth asked curiously, “But yes. I’ll drop you off at the mechanics, are you ready to go.”

“Yeah.” Aerith agreed, “What’s it like in Costa Del Sol?”

“It’s like every other beach city, the only difference is that it has this annual festival.” Sephiroth snorted, “But I guess that’s where it gets all its money from. Tourism.”

“Oh.” Aerith sighed, she was hoping that there would be more to the place. It was kind of disappointing. Sephiroth just stared at her curiously before making his way to his car. Aerith on the other hand went back to her car and pulled out her duffle bag. It had all her money and everything important. She then made her way into his car and sat in the passenger’s seat. The brunette didn’t know the man, all she knew was that he was a well known commander in the military. But that didn’t mean that he was a good person. For all she knew, he could have been a serial killer. But there was something about him that made her feel safe. It was bizarre.

From the road signs. Aerith could see that the journey was going to be about ten minutes which wasn’t that bad. But was kind of embarrassing considering the fact that her car couldn’t even survive the last ten minutes of the journey. Another thing that kept on plaguing her thoughts was that Sephiroth seemed kind of familiar and she really had no idea what the man was originally going to do in the desert for all she knew, he could have been on his way to bury a dead body.  
“Are you going to keep staring at me this whole trip? Because it’s getting a little weird.” Sephiroth pointed out, “I don’t generally like to help people out because they all get starry eyed and it makes me feel uncomfortable. You’re not like that, are you?”

“Nope. I’m just trying to figure out whether you’re going to murder me or not.” Aerith answered flatly, shocking a laugh out of the other man. She preferred his laugh over his chuckle. The chuckle was too controlled and seemed more of a professional gesture than actual amusement. His laugh on the other hand, felt more real. Aerith liked it.

“You remind me of someone I know.” Sephiroth stated, “In fact, I’m sure I have heard him talk about you before. Do you happen to know Zack Fair? I’m just making sure that he wasn’t actually stalking you.”

“You know Zack? Wow. What a small world.” Aerith smiled, “We used to date. A long time ago.”

“You dated Zack. You actually dated Zack.” Sephiroth repeated, staring at her curiously. Aerith had no idea why it seemed to be a big deal? Yes. She dated the guy in her teen years. They ended very applicably. Zack was now dating Cloud and she couldn’t be anything but happy for the couple. The brunette adored them both.

“Why do you sound so shocked?” Aerith asked, the car stopped rather suddenly and Aerith realised that she hadn’t even paid any attention to any of the scenery as her focus remained on Sephiroth. The man was interesting and she kind of liked him.

“I just wasn’t expecting you to have dated him.” Sephiroth admitted, “But I guess Zack was right.”

“Zack was right about what?” Aerith frowned, she was kind of scared of what was going to come out of Sephiroth’s mouth. It could have been anything, who knew what Zack told other people about her.

“You’re beautiful.” Sephiroth voiced, opening the door to his car and exiting. Aerith could only stare in bewilderment, because it had been quite some time since she was last referred to as beautiful. She was used to getting called cute, or pretty, but the use of the word beautiful was rare. The brunette followed him out of the car, but the man just seemed to always be a few paces ahead of her.

“Wait. Slow down!” Aerith yelled, the guy’s legs were longer than hers so it was a bit of a pain trying to keep up, “I have short legs.”

“Cid. This is Aerith. Her car broke down on the highway. We’re going to need a tow truck and I was hoping that you would be able to have a look at it?” Sephiroth smiled politely, the man he was talking to was a little older, blond haired. Aerith had a feeling he was a nice man. She trusted her instincts.

“Of course.” Cid agreed, “Nice to meet you Aerith. Welcome to Costa Del Sol.”

“Thank you.” Aerith smiled, “So what’s there to do here?”

“Hm. Say Sephiroth, why don’t you take the pretty lady to the lookout point? You get one of the best views and the sun’s going to set soon. It’s one of the most memorable sights in this whole town.” Cid suggested, “Which is a shame because everyone seems to overlook the natural attractions here for the sake of having a bit of fun at the festival.”

“Look out point.” Sephiroth sighed, “Isn’t that the place where all the teenagers make out?”

“Yes, it is.” Cid laughed, “But that only really happens during the night. So now’s the perfect time to go.”

“I’d like to see it.” Aerith voiced, “It’d be a great way to end my first day here.”

“Okay.” Sephiroth reluctantly agreed, “Have you taken into consideration where you’re going to stay? I have a spare room at my place.”

“I was originally going to go to a hotel.” Aerith answered, “But if you’re offering, I’ll take you up on it.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you back at the car.” Sephiroth said politely, “Cid and I have some business to discuss.”

“Sure.” Aerith agreed, heading back to the vehicle. It was only when she entered that Cid decided to talk.

“Now where the hell did you meet her?” Cid queried, “A girl like that is the sort that you only meet a few times in a lifetime.”

“Her car broke down on the highway.” Sephiroth snorted, “I wasn’t going to leave her out there in this heat. And she seems nice, not the type of person to cause problems.”

“Exactly. She seems like a sweetheart.” Cid added, “So you better not let her get away. It’s been a while since I last saw you take interest in a person.”

“I’m not exactly her type.” Sephiroth sighed, “She used to date Zack.”

“Poor girl probably got pressured into it.” Cid laughed, “But that shouldn’t steer you away. You’re here for the weekend. If it doesn’t work out, you could just cut her out of your life. Forget that it ever happened.”

“You’re getting soft with age.” Sephiroth teased, “I’ll see you around.”

“I expect to hear what happens.” Cid winked, “Have fun kid.”

-

The drive to the lookout wasn’t long. Costa Del Sol was a small town, but Aerith was finally able to appreciate the scenery. It was a nice place. The sort of place you would want to move to when you retired.

Cid was right. The lookout point was breathtaking, the sight of the sky breaking into a kaleidoscope of colours made Aerith inhale deeply. She wasn’t sure why she did, maybe it was because she was overwhelmed with emotions. But Aerith’s fingers searched for Sephiroth’s own. His fingers were smooth compared to her own. Aerith was known for her gardening, and she occasionally forgot to wear gloves and did the weeding with her bare hands. But she could appreciate the hold of his hand. They were now clasped together in a memory that Aerith hoped to remember for the rest of her life.

When the sun finished setting and they were left staring at an equally beautiful night’s sky. Aerith decided to break the silence.  
“Will I see you again?” Aerith asked, staring ahead. She didn’t want him to think that she was obsessing over him like his starry-eyed fans. But the brunette couldn’t deny the immediate connection she felt to him. There was something there that she wanted to explore.

“Yes.” Sephiroth answered softly, the words calming Aerith’s nerves. She was happy. At least she had gained another companion from this journey. It felt like the connection she felt for the place, was fate’s way of telling her she had to meet Sephiroth.

Aerith continued to hold onto Sephiroth’s hand. This was the start of a very important relationship.

** fin ******


End file.
